BBC: Licence Fee

Lord Pearson of Rannoch Excerpts

Monday 7th November 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Pearson of Rannoch]

My Lords, given that the BBC’s charter and fee require it to cover matters of public interest fairly, how do the Government react to the statistic that, over the past six years, the BBC has dedicated less than 0.04 per cent of its news and news-related coverage to the case for our withdrawal from the European Union, which case is supported by at least 50 per cent—and growing—of the British people?

[Baroness Rawlings]

It would surprise me if the noble Lord, Lord Pearson, did not ask a European Union-related question. I do not have the statistics on the BBC’s coverage of our possible withdrawal from the EU, but no doubt the department will find them for me and I will send them to him.